All the world’s a stage

We have to wonder if this AP photo was posed. The kids don’t appear too worried about being caught in any cross-fire. As we learned from the Mohammad al-Dura affair, there’s nothing unusual for the Palestinians to play to the cameras.

Palestinian militants of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades fire at Israeli troops during clashes in the West Bank City of Nablus Tuesday Dec. 13, 2005. A Palestinian man was killed and 20 others were wounded Tuesday during an Israeli arrest raid targeting Palestinian militants, Palestinian hospital officials said. Stone-throwing clashes and sporadic gunfights erupted in Nablus after the troops entered the area. Nablus, the largest city in the West Bank, is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)

That was precisely the impression I got the instant I lay eyes on that odd photo. Also, the “militant” has his face entirely exposed which is unusual. And the photo is so well focused and detailed that the photographer must have stood very close to this “dangerous” fire-fight. After scrutinizing the highly suspect Al-Dura footage I now view all this stuff with suspicion. For example, last night the TV news showed some “cross-fire” with loud sounds of gun-shot in the background, yet a Palestinian old man was strolling calmly across the street, several feet from one of the shooters, as if nothing was amiss.

I think the more pertinent question would be:”Why is there a child standing with rocks in his hand, next to 2 men with automatic rifles?”…and if the child were injured, who is to blame?..the Israelis firing on heavily armed combatants, the child himself for standing with combatants, or the combatants for having a child at such close proximity in a war zone from where they firing?”…I know which would be blamed in the media!